The recently installed rain gardens under the Presidente João Goulart elevated park, known as Minhocão, have made it difficult for pedestrians as they now have to use bike lanes, raising concerns about safety.
São Paulo's administration has established new rain gardens beneath the elevated Minhocão, which have inadvertently forced pedestrians to walk in bike lanes, leading to complaints from local residents about safety risks. These gardens, part of a broader urban requalification project by Mayor Ricardo Nunes, aim to manage stormwater more effectively but have created a challenging environment for both cyclists and pedestrians in the central area.
Local residents expressed concerns as they navigate the space, frequently encountering bicycles on paths originally designated for walking. Observations from a recent visit to a bus stop along Avenida São João revealed that pedestrians must dodge cyclists regularly, highlighting the flaws in current urban planning efforts. While the city's administration defends the changes by emphasizing that the area was never truly a pedestrian walkway—having always been utilized as a bike lane—this justification fails to address the immediate safety hazards faced by the public.
The situation underscores the complexities of urban planning where multi-use spaces must accommodate various forms of transportation. Stakeholders will need to find solutions to balance the functionality of the new stormwater management system while ensuring safety for all users, particularly as complaints from residents are likely to escalate if measures are not taken promptly to address the ensuing conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists.
